New Delhi (NVI): The French government will impose a daily nationwide curfew at 6 pm to combat a worrying increase in Covid-19 cases, Prime Minister Jean Castex said.
The curfew restrictions will come into effect from Saturday and will remain in force for at least two weeks, Castex told a news conference.
Except for emergency services, all services and shops will have to close at that time, he added.
“The virus is still spreading actively,” Castex said.
Up to now, most of France has been under an 8 pm curfew, with some parts of the country, especially in the hard-hit east, already under the stricter 6 pm curfew that Castex said had resulted in an infection rate two or three times lower than in the rest of the country.
“The nationwide curfew will allow us to respond gradually and avoid having to taking more difficult measures. It let’s us reduce social interactions at the end of the day, without limiting essential activities during the day,” the Prime Minister stated.
The situation in France is “under control compared to neighbouring countries but still fragile,” he warned, with pressure on hospitals still “high but stable.”
Schools will remain open, but indoor sports activities have again been banned for now.
So far, France has reported 2,909,879 positive cases of coronavirus and nearly 70,000 deaths in the country.
-CHK
